Frozen confectionery products consisting entirely of a frozen gel or comprising a frozen gel are already known and are popular in particular with children.
One example for a frozen confectionery product comprising a core consisting of a frozen confection, said core being at least partially coated with a frozen flexible edible gel layer, is the frozen dessert stick “Eskimo Monkey” which is sold by Nestlé Thailand. This product comprises an ice-cream core being coated with a frozen flexible edible gel layer. This gel layer can be peeled of by the consumer and eaten separately. Since the gel is resistant to liquefaction, even in the defrosted state, the product parts that have been peeled down by the consumer remain intact without melting and dripping. To facilitate the peeling, four longitudinal cutting lines are provided in the gel layer, so that four flaps of peel can be peeled off. One thereby achieves a banana-style peeling effect.
As it becomes clear from the above, an important feature of the gel used to form the peelable gel layer is that it resists to meltdown even after complete defrosting. This is achieved by the addition of stabilisers such as locust bean gum, kappa-carrageenan, sodium alginate or pectin to the mix. EP 1339290 A2 describes such a jelly or gel and its use in a composite frozen confectionery product. The content of this document is incorporated herein by reference.
So far there exist only products allowing a very simple peeling effect, i.e. using longitudinal cutting lines so that flaps can be peeled down. Any attempts to provide different product concepts still involving a similar “play effect” have failed.